Heightened Safety Concerns

The odds are good some of your friends or family have made the personal choice to never carry or own a gun, but after the tragedy in Paris, the odds are good when you see them this holiday season they’ll express safety concerns. That’s your opportunity to avoid the debate and simply recommend NRA’s "Refuse To Be A Victim" classes.

I know of no class on earth that could prevent someone from becoming the casualty of a well-orchestrated terrorist attack. Much like 9/11, they were in the wrong place, at the wrong time. It’s of little comfort, but our thoughts and prayers go out for the victims, families and friends of those killed or injured.

There are some simple steps, however, we can take to minimize the chances of common criminals terrorizing our lives. Most readers include a firearm in their self-defense plan, but some people are uncomfortable with that decision, and it’s not always workable—think about students heading off to a gun-free college dorm, seniors entering an assisted-care facility for the first time or those cities with restrictive ordinances.

NRA’s Refuse To Be A Victim is, “…a personal safety program that teaches strategies you can use to avoid situations where self-defense is required.” How effective is the four-hour seminar? It’s now included in hundreds of law enforcement agency public-outreach programs.

I attended and wrote about one years ago in Arizona, and the information and interaction with the instructor was impressive. Topics included home, vehicle, work and personal security, with the same kind of emphasis on situational awareness and avoidance that’s requisite in every firearm course. It’s open to men, women, youngsters, seniors and anyone concerned about personal safety.

The information won’t insulate someone from terrorist attack, but it does provide the kind of solid information that minimizes the chances of those much-more-common criminal encounters, which can also turn deadly.